The stage was set for a special night of football when the Kentucky Wildcats took the field in front of a sold-out crowd in Lexington on Saturday night against the LSU Tigers. There was no denying that a win over the 10th-ranked Tigers would be the final wake-up call for any remaining UK doubters across the college football world.
Riding the vibes of the Power K, the Big Blue Nation did its part, packing Kroger Field and making it as hostile an environment as possible for LSU.
Both teams came out swinging
in the first half, trading several impressive scoring plays.
Kentucky wasted no time giving the antsy fans something to go wild about. On the first offensive play from scrimmage, CJ Baxter trucked 77 yards straight up the gut, setting up an easy score for himself.
For LSU, its fast-paced offense was on full display, highlighted by a flashy first-quarter flea-flicker from Sam Leavitt to tight end Zach Grace for a 22-yard touchdown.
But nothing topped UK’s Brock Coffman tightroping the sideline on a miraculous punt return touchdown early in the second quarter, giving Kentucky a 14-10 lead. The Cats would march down the field for a masterful drive that ended with a 1-yard Kenny Minchey plunge as time expired in the first half with UK leading 21-17.
The game fell into a bit of a lull in the third quarter before another LSU trick play finally broke things open in the second half. A wide-receiver-to-tight-end touchdown pass put the Tigers in front 27-24. It was painful for Kentucky fans to watch, but you have to give credit where credit is due: Kiffin and his staff found unique ways to score points against a determined UK defense.
Unfortunately, this game was very close to being solely remembered for two squandered special teams opportunities for Kentucky. After clawing to get in field goal position late in the fourth quarter, Adam Zouagui missed two attempts, both of which would have tied the game. The first miss from 42 yards was painful, but the chip-shot shank from just 26 yards with 3:11 to play that would have stung for a long time to come.
Luckily, Zouagui got an incredible third chance to redeem himself before the end of regulation. This time, he’d drill it right down the middle, sending the game to overtime.
Kentucky’s second OT game in as many weeks, marking the first time in program history.
LSU would score a touchdown on the opening possession. Kentucky followed that up with a touchdown drive of its own, highlighted by a Kenny Darby third-down grab to get it down to the goal line. CJ Baxter would eventually punch it in for six.
From there, history was made as Will Stein showed his courage again, going for the 2-pointer and winning the game on a Kenny Minchey QB run up the middle.
Final score: Cats 35, Tigers 34.
MVP
There were no overarching statistical performances in Kentucky’s memorable victory. Instead, it was a group effort on both sides of the ball to put up a respectable showing against a top ten team,
There’s no telling how this game could have gone had CJ Baxter not set the tone on what was the Cats’ literal first play from scrimmage. The Boyton Beach, FL native took the handoff from Kenny Minchey and plowed straight down the field for 77 yards, setting up his own TD score. Baxter’s efforts gave Kentucky a 7-3 lead and provided a stabilizing reassurance that the Cats were capable of imposing their will on #10 LSU. He’d add the important overtime score as well.
Baxter would finish the game with 123 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns.
Honorable Mention: You could make the same argument for Brock Coffman’s first-half punt return touchdown. His acrobatics teetering the sidelines was a sight to see and snatched all momentum to UK’s sideline.
Highlights
Box Score
